Who is Jake Ellis? #2Review

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Are we any closer to answering that question? Not really, no.

By Joey Esposito

I'm a sucker for spy and espionage stories, and Image's latest in the genre, Who Is Jake Ellis?, had somewhat quenched that thirst when it debuted last month. Unfortunately, the latest installment fails to make me feel the same way. Issue #2 is a little redundant in parts, often times feeling like writer Nathan Edmondson was struggling to fill up the space he needed within the issue. That said, the dialog (of which there is a lot) is well written and reads quite naturally. The story follows a former CIA analyst that can talk to a subconscious version of himself that helps him in tight spots via enlightened intel, like a Morpheus in his brain. While it's a cool concept and is presented well visually by artist Tonci Zonjic, issue #2 of the series proves that it's also problematic to storytelling.

There is a mystery unraveling in this story, but the reader is being told the clues and the history through the character's conversations with "himself," never fully using the comics medium as a storytelling convention. Who Is Jake Ellis? feels less like a must-read comic and more like a failed thriller flick trying to ride the wave of Jason Bourne. It's far from bad, but I would've loved to see a bit more effort taken in constructing – and subsequently revealing – the conspiracy that surrounds this character.

Zonjic's work in this issue is phenomenal though, fully realizing the tone that Edmondson is attempting. His work is deceptively simple and uses very little in the way of line detail. Instead, he opts for thick inks and a predominantly gray color palette that tosses in a bright primary color every so often to give the colors a sense of angularity. If the series can make an upward swing in more creative storytelling, Who Is Jake Ellis? could wind up being an enjoyable and visually slick government thriller.